Nadja DeChevalier
The free-spirited 'space' Gypsy had come to Space Station Nigala only to fulfill the dying wish of her mother. Calling nowhere her home, Nadja thought this to be just one more stop in her nomadic life. But things soon turned out to be different, and she suddenly found herself timidly putting down roots for the first time. Personal History Nadja's mother, Sinfai Brogat, found herself pregnant at the tender age of 17. During her family's stay on Terra Nova, she had fallen in love with Etienne DeChevalier, the eldest offspring of an influential French family. The young 19-year old man did not hesitate one moment and asked her to marry him, despite his family's concerns about the girl coming from a 'space' Gypsy clan. Sinfai's family did not agree with her decision to marry Etienne either, and turned their back on her, leaving the colony without another word. Because of Sinfai's abandonment, Etienne's family finally agreed to the marriage. They felt they already had one scandal on their hands, they did not need another over the expected baby being born out of wedlock. Etienne was very much in love with Sinfai and made a beautiful home for them on Terra Nova. Soon, their little family grew to include the beautiful red-haired baby girl Sinfai gave birth to. They named her Nadja, after Sinfai's late grandmother. For the first couple of years, they lived 'happily ever after', but soon problems became apparent. Sinfai was not used to staying in one place for so long, she yearned for the stars, for new worlds, for her Gyspy lifestyle. Etienne was bound by his family heritage to carry on the business on Terra Nova, though it was a rather dangerous undertaking at times. A few months before Nadja turned three years old, her father was killed in an assault while on business. His family finally showed their true colors, and turned against Sinfai, refusing to support her any longer. After an attempt to take Nadja away from her mother failed, Sinfai fled Terra Nova in search of her Gypsy family. She hoped they would forgive her and take her back into the clan. During Sinfai's sojourn, she met up with another Gypsy clan. They kindly took her in and let her travel with them. One of the men, Barro Camomescro, who was almost 15 years older than Sinfai became rather attached to her, and she reciprocated the feeling. They married just a few short months later, right after Nadja's fourth birthday. In the course of time, Sinfai and Barro had 7 children, five boys and two girls, the oldest 5 years younger than Nadja. Although Barro was always good to Nadja, he never truly adopted her and she retained her French lastname. Nadja was actually happy about that fact later, since she cherished that reminder of her father. Throughout the years, Nadja developed into a rather independent, strong-headed, and unorthodox individual. She loved the nomadic lifestyle of the Gypsies, but even that did not keep her from separating from her clan by the time she turned 20. Her thirst for adventure drove her from one place to another, traveling with various different groups and individuals, sometimes of rather dubious character. Her clever thinking kept her mostly out of trouble, though not always. In all her years of traveling, she kept in contact with her family's clan. When her step father Barro contacted her not long after she had turned 35 and disclosed to her that her mother was suffering from a terrible chronic illness that was about to take her life, she hurried halfway across the galaxy to be at her side. Three days after her arrival on Starbase 36, around Klingon territory, where her family had taken Sinfai for medical treatment, her mother died. Her last request was for Nadja to journey to her lifelong friend Vy'sha and give her back her half of the Rigilian coin they had split years ago. After several weeks of travel on various transport vessels, Nadja arrived at Space Station Nigala, where Vy'sha had a small shop... SS Nigala Nadja soon found out that the Space Station had been attacked and part of its hull had been ripped away. As she went to search for Vy'sha and her husband Tl'oll, she came to the gruesome realization that they apparently had been killed during the attack. Her suspicion was confirmed by Dr. Neros, when he showed her the charred bodies of the two people she had been seeking. After taking temporary quarters, Nadja began packing up Vy'sha and Tl'oll's belongings. A longing to rebuild their place of business formed inside her. Though, when she found some unused inventory of her mother's friends, she decided she didn't want to continue their line of business, it seemed rather dull to her. Contemplating on the idea for a while, she finally decided to apply for a business license and put in her name for the space where the shop once was, but selecting to make it a restaurant instead. Additional Information Nadja is in many instances a rather traditional Gypsy woman. She wears the traditional layers of teared skirts in colors of her clan, including at the moment also a white one to symbolize her grief over her mother's death, and dozens of bangles on her arms, as well as large golden hoop earrings. But aside from that, she adorns her navel, which she keeps exposed, with a Sabarian Chameleon Stone. The stone changes color according to the mood of the person wearing or holding it. Because of her independent spirit and her tendency to be here today and gone tomorrow, Vulcan acquaintances have dubbed her "Kahs'khiori", Shooting Star. DeChevalier Nadja DeChevalier Nadja